Looking at this cruise sailing on 10th from Fort Lauderdale as seems the best itenary available for the time and also 14 days which we want.

Anyone tell me what the Nieuw is like, we have sailed on Sea Princess in the Caribbean and loved it and are thinking of going back. The itenary looks excellent going to places we want to see i.e Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas and Turks & Caicos but my only doubt is the ship doesnt look as wow as Princess or Royal Caribbean, I maybe wrong when saying this but could do with some reassurance.

Holland America ships are reserved in their decor. They don't do 'wow', instead HAL leans towards the more classic cruise experience. HAL is a premium cruise line, meaning more upscale although the prices often don't indicate it. The typical guest is likely older and more well-to-do than those you'd see on the mainstream cruise lines. HAL most closely resembles Celebrity to me.

The Nieuw Amsterdam is a beautiful ship and actually considered a bit small in today's market of mega-ships.

I note P&O are starting to do Barbados at the start, middle and end and some people complaining saying they dont want a caribbean cruise for 14 weeks with Barbados 3 times. Personally I dont mind as the first day you have had a long flight the middle you get all day and the end your going home so not like its 3 full days.

I've never sailed with P&O Cruises. Of course with the Ventura and Azura what you have is two Grand-class ships ala Princess, although with some design differences. Personally I would go with the Nieuw Amsterdam.

One thing to note about HAL is they have a shore-based crew training academy for the service staff, something quite unique among cruise lines. I think it is in Manila.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. There is no noticeable difference in average weather in the Caribbean for November or February. This is especially true for the southern Caribbean. The closer you get to the equator the more stagnant the typical weather becomes.

Whether or not it means anything, Nov is still in the Caribbean hurricane season and Feb is not.
Also, we agree with penny3333, Half Moon Cay is the prettiest of the private islands. I've parasailed there twice and the view was spectacular!

__________________"Sea"You,Keith&RitaAnn

Fast dancing is the second best form of exercise,slow dancing leads to the first!

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. There is no noticeable difference in average weather in the Caribbean for November or February. This is especially true for the southern Caribbean. The closer you get to the equator the more stagnant the typical weather becomes.

Thanks for that Dave, if there is no noticeable difference why would there be a £300 pp difference. Feb is more expensive.

Because if a particular cruise is selling better they will increase the fares. Cruise fares are based on yield management not the weather. Also, November is typically a slower period for cruises since people are spending their money on the holidays coming up in December, or they will be traveling during the holidays and can't afford to cruise when they are flying to Grandma's house for Christmas.